The American Humane Society is another very important resource, long associated with the protection of animals, the society has a history of rescuing children from abusive situations:

American Humane has a long and established history [1877] of protecting children from abuse and neglect. We support the development and implementation of effective community, state, tribal, and national systems to protect children and strengthen families. Through consultation, training, research and evaluation, advocacy, and information dissemination, American Humane continues its legacy of child protection.

American Humane's work in child abuse prevention and support is vital, not only because of the work they do, but because of their efforts to steer the government to provide more consistency in their own practices. As was reported in this 2002 article from the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, entitled Child abuse and neglect:

Over the past 30 years, the political response to child maltreatment and its prevention in the US has experienced periods of frantic activity, often followed by long periods of benign neglect. In reflecting on this history, Dick Krugman has referred to this uneven level of attention as a series of "waves" in which apparent progress is often minimized by an inability to sustain political commitment to a given reform or course of action.

To an extent, this pattern reflects deep differences among child welfare advocates, researchers, and practitioners on how best to proceed. While most everyone agrees that "it shouldn't hurt to be a child," how to prevent this hurt and at what cost is less clear. To address this dilemma, prevention advocates, researchers, and practitioners have struggled with a variety of conceptual frameworks and programmatic reforms.

Statistics:

According to the latest Child Maltreatment Report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, of the 899,000 children abused or neglected in federal fiscal year 2005, 16.6 percent, or more than 149,000 children, endured physical abuse.

Over 83,000 were victims of sexual abuse.

Nearly 64,000 children suffered emotional abuse.

Here are some of the ways you can make a difference for abused children:

Report. If you witness or suspect child abuse, take action by informing local authorities.

Wear a blue ribbon in April to show your support. The blue ribbon has symbolized the fight to stop child abuse since 1989, when a grandmother in Virginia began using it to commemorate her abused grandson’s tragic death.

Share information about the American Humane Society's work and prevention programs.